Under the Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities (Part C) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), service coordination is defined as "the activities carried out by a service coordinator to assist and enable a child eligible under this part and the child's family to receive the rights,…

This paper discusses the results of a study that investigated the effectiveness of four Elementary Mental Health Operations (ELMHO) programs in Pinellas County, Florida. ELMHO programs were designed to provide school-based mental health services to children and their families to help elementary students with emotional disabilities learn to cope…

This paper describes the Starting Early Starting Smart (SESS) project, an early intervention program that has been developed in the context of the national, multi-site program and evaluation. The emphasis in SESS is on the integration of behavioral health services into easily accessible, non-threatening settings where caregivers naturally and…

Four brief papers in this symposium examine clinical research, community mental health services, and policy issues of young children's mental health problems. First, "Risk Factors for Poor Mental Health Outcomes in Young Children Entering School" (Lynne C. Huffman, Sarah L. Mehlinger, and Amy S. Kerivan Marks) reviews the research and identifies…

This book provides practitioners working with young adults with disabilities practical strategies for building expanded partnerships with parents during the transition years. It relies on three beliefs: parents need to be fully informed partners; practitioners need to empower parents to become partners; and parents can become accountable for…

This document presents guidelines for evaluation of early childhood special education programs in North Dakota. Following an introduction, a section considers six general program goals including the significance of families, the need for developmentally appropriate and individually appropriate practice, preference for service delivery in…

Starting Early Starting Smart (SESS) is an early childhood public/private initiative designed to identify new, empirical knowledge about the effectiveness of integrating substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment, and mental health services with primary health care and childcare service settings (e.g., Head Start, day care, preschool) to…

This guide suggests ideas and activities to support training in early intervention service coordination for infants, toddlers, and young children with disabilities. The guide is intended to include parents as well as professionals and to be used in both service and preservice training. It is a project of the Pathways Project (Wisconsin) which…

Charges that the National Agenda for Achieving Better Outcomes for Children and Youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance is so general and all encompassing that it is an inadequate guide for action, and urges a clearer direction. Commentaries are offered on following articles in the issue that address the agenda's seven targets. (Author/CR)

Describes Boston Family Reunification Network's instruments to measure process and clinical outcomes of initiatives designed to help children return to their families, the two-year development process, and the points considered during the instruments' development. Includes suggestions for other social welfare groups planning to create and…

Outlines issues concerning families of children with severe behavioral and emotional disorders in a time of school reform. Reviews family participation in education and system change and enumerates principles of family participation. Discusses families' expanded roles and opportunities ranging from the individual student/family level up to the…

Suggests school library media specialists should be responsible for promoting the integration of technology into education. Topics include resource allocation in the past; school library funding; the political climate and educational planning; technology teachers; library policies; and librarian and teacher cooperation. Provides a list of…

A full-service school integrates educational, medical, social and/or human services that are beneficial to meeting the needs of children and youth and their families on school grounds or in easily accessible locations. Current research, commentary, and observations about the concept of full service schools are summarized, with particular focus on…

Urban schools' success depends on their responsiveness to student, parent, and community needs. Responsive programs include alternative high-engagement, remedial, or "last-chance" schools; charter schools; full-service schools providing health and social services; immersion programs for single-gender African-American students;…

The Family-Centered Interdisciplinary Preservice Training Program in Early Intervention at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is providing training to professionals that fully integrates parent involvement. Student activities include a curricular focus on family-centered early intervention, hands-on activities building interdisciplinary team…